This week, NASA is preparing for the planned launch of its Artemis II mission to the Moon, which will see four astronauts journey around the Moon and back for the first time since the Apollo programme.
They'll travel further into space than any human being before them, slingshotting around the far side of the Moon on a 10-day mission.
Artemis II is the second mission in NASA's Artemis programme, which aims to put human feet on the Moon by 2028.
NASA recently announced a renewed focus on building a permanent lunar settlement, as well as announcing Space Reactor-1 Freedom, a planned nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars.
A new era for space exploration?
Two space science experts from the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, say Artemis II marks the beginning of a new chapter in spaceflight.
This new era is dubbed by many as 'Space Race 2.0', in reference to the historic 'race to the Moon' between the USA and the Soviet Union during the Cold War and the early days of human spaceflight.
Now, however, the USA's key competitor in the race to put humans back on the Moon is China, whose space agency has already more than proven its own spacefaring prowess.
Also, this time NASA is backed by key players in the space industry, with private companies now playing a major role in the return to the Moon.
"This mission is monumental. It’s about more than going back to the Moon, it’s about proving we can operate sustainably beyond Earth," says Swinburne's Dr Matt Shaw.
"With private players like SpaceX now involved, space is no longer just a government pursuit. It’s becoming an economic frontier."
Swinburne engineer Belinda Rich says Artemis II is indicating a move from short-term space exploration to a permanent human presence on the Moon.
"We’re going to the Moon, to stay, and it’s those extra words that change everything," she says.
"Unlike earlier missions, this is about establishing a long-term human outpost, which means solving entirely new challenges around infrastructure, sustainability and resources."
More on Artemis II
Swinburne says its researchers are looking into how Moon dust – lunar regolith – could be transformed into resources for astronauts working on the Moon, including building materials.
"Regolith contains oxygen and metals like iron, silicon and aluminium. Extracting oxygen is a key step, but the real opportunity is in producing metals for construction," says Rich, who is researching how materials on the Moon could be turned into useful products, like wiring.
"Lunar wire could power electrical systems or be fed into 3D printers to build tools and spare parts on demand," she says.
Using the Moon's natural resources could, for example, help lunar settlers build key components without the need to launch materials to the Moon from Earth.
Artemis II is a critical first step, the researchers say.
“This is where it all starts," says Dr Shaw. "Watch this space."
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